On May 11, Wang Yafei, Party Secretary of UESTC, met with Canadian ambassador McCallum and his entourage on the Qingshuihe campus. The two sides exchanged views on promoting exchanges and cooperation between Canadian universities and UESTC. Dai Jiehao, the Consul General of the Consulate General of Canada in Chongqing, and UESTC’s Vice President Xiong Caidong were present.

On behalf of UESTC, Wang Yafei gave a warm welcome to McCallum’s visit. He said, UESTC had been strongly fueled by the Chinese government throughout her history. Owing to that, it now boasts obvious comprehensive advantages in the field of electronic information, and has made important contributions to the development of China''s IT industry. In recent years, UESTC continue to implement Three Strategies of talent strengthening, disciplines upgrading, and internationalization, as well as accelerate the construction of a world-class university with Chinese characteristics. Canada is an important partner in the internationalization strategy of UESTC, as there are a large number of students from UESTC choosing Canada as a destination for exchanges and further studies every year. Furthermore,thanks to the strong support from both governments, UESTC has established good cooperative relations with Canadian universities such as British Columbia University and McGill University, enabling more extensive cooperation areas in talent training, scientific research and other aspects, a deeper cooperation level, and a series of Achievements. Wang Yafei expressed a wish that the Ambassador would care, help and support the exchanges carried out at all levels between UESTC and Canadian universities, so that the fruits of cooperation would benefit more teachers and students of both countries and make contributions to enhancing the friendly relations between China and Canada.

McCallum said that he was very pleased to come to Sichuan and visit UESTC soon after the appointment as ambassador to China. He recalled his and McGill University’s connections with China, and he sincerely admired the achievements made in the development of UESTC and appreciated the pragmatic cooperation between UESTC and Canadian universities in various fields. He believes that, along the long course of Sino-Canadian cooperation, and with the broad development prospects in western China, both sides must step up cooperation in economy, trade, and culture; meanwhile, further improve the level of educational cooperation through teacher-student exchange and two-way interaction, to promote mutual understanding between two peoples.

The relevant persons in charge of the Canadian Consulate General in Chongqing and the Chengdu representative office of the Canadian Commercial Corporation, as well as representatives from the International Cooperation and Exchange Office of UESTC attended the meeting.

After the meeting, McCallum and his entourage visited the exhibits on results of the artificial intelligence research of UESTC, during which he played badminton with the badminton robot. He also exchanged ideas with Professor Luo Deyuan, Deputy Dean of the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and the head coach of the school robot team, as well as students in the team. McCallum highly praised the innovative ability of teachers and students in UESTC, and sincerely invited the students to study in prestigious universities in Canada.